June 2, 2016

"The German Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a symbolic but fraught resolution on Thursday declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 a genocide..."

"... a move that strains relations with Turkey at a time when the European Union urgently needs its help in managing the migrant crisis."

Response from Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim: "As they see it, they are trying to keep us responsible for the incidents in 1915.... Sometimes countries we know as friends come up with brilliant ideas for distraction when they feel desperate in domestic politics."

11 comments:

Hagar said...

Ain't that the truth!

rhhardin said...


Soon there will be as many rules for genocide as for sexual encounters.

n.n said...

It is recorded as a genocide. So, how does that affect relationships today?

Today's Turks need to be concerned about their role in creating and sustaining a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe. The Germans should be more concerned about the consequences of anti-native policies in the Middle East and Europe, too.

Alexander said...

Irrelevant.

Twenty years from now, there will either be no Germans in the German parliament or there will be no Turks in Germany. Either way, the opinion on the Armenian genocide won't change this.

Michael K said...

Oh Oh. I was in Istanbul ten years ago. There is no way I would go there now and I suspect most tourists feel the same way. I know of tours that have stopped offering Turkey and Istanbul as a destination.

Jupiter said...

"... a move that strains relations with Turkey at a time when the European Union urgently needs its help in managing the migrant crisis."

Just like the US government urgently needs Mexico's help in managing our migrant crisis. Someone has to supply the migrants.

The Godfather said...

It's not surprising that Turkey won't admit that the Armenian Genocide was genocide. It seems to me that I read the other day that Japan denies responsibility for WWII. On the other hand Germany has acknowledged responsibility for WWII and the Holocaust.

BillyTalley said...

Unfortunate phrasing:

The Turkish government angrily denounced the vote as “null and void,”

Owen said...

rhhardin: "Soon there will be as many rules for genocide as for sexual encounters."

My highest accolade is "Brutal."

You are hereby awarded a triple Brutal.

mikee said...

If there was no genocide, I am sure the Turks can provide the great-grandchildren of those who weren't killed off to confirm the gentle treatment of their ancestors by the Ottoman Empire.

Otto said...

Confirmation denied by grandchild.Great grandchild knows but is more concerned with 1s and 0s. Great great grandchild is a mixture of Italian, Irish, Scottish, Polish, Jewish, native Indian and Armenian ( largest percentage). Another words the kid is an American.
The reason America long denied the genocide was because we had a much needed AFB in Turkey during the cold war
Bad business of countries officially proclaiming misdeeds of other countries.